The Mother's Voice: Strengthening Intimacy in Families [Paperback]

Kathy Weingarten. (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 11, 1997

Following her diagnosis with breast cancer, clinical psychologist Kathy Weingarten became acutely aware of deeply ingrained cultural messages about mothering that were limiting her ability to share emotional intimacy with her children under those crisis conditions. This discovery led Dr. Weingarten to question popular beliefs about what makes a "good mother," and to rethink the meanings of maternal self-disclosure and hierarchy within the family. Reworking the story of her motherhood, and her relationship to her own mother's story, she forged a new authenticity i her relationship with her son and daughter. The Mother's Voice tells us how. @1STPARA = A new preface to the paperback edition, written with characteristic humor and insight, updates readers on the author's continuing professional, theoretical, and personal transformations as she and her loved ones enter anew phase of living with her cancer.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

A diagnosis of breast cancer triggered family therapist Weingarten's exploration of the myriad ways our culture encourages mothers to keep themselves at a "crippling silence" from their children. Continuing her practice of speaking in the "voice" of the selfless mother, Weingarten, whose children were 10 and 13, began her ordeal with cancer surgery and treatment by concealing her fears and anxieties, but her skilled awareness led her to "unsilence" much of her reaction, to expose her vulnerability and to develop an intimacy with her children despite "fear that confiding . . . would blur a generational boundary between us." With perceptive and convincing observations drawn from research, her therapy practice and personal experience, Weingarten argues that mothers can assume "judicious" rather than "ultimate" responsibility for their children's welfare, responsibility that can be shared with other adults and with the children themselves. Weingarten's gradual approach to a kind of "liberated mothering" is a nurturing and reliable model. Author tour.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

When Weingarten, a family therapist, was diagnosed with breast cancer, she was struck with her hesitancy to express her fears and emotions to her two adolescent children. This book is an exploration of how families can better communicate and attain intimacy. Particular attention is paid to how women can be mothers and partners while retaining a strong sense of self. The author draws primarily from her own family relationships with her husband, children, mother, and grandmothers, though examples from her practice's case histories and scholarly literature are presented as well. Weingarten challenges traditional concepts of parents' relationships with each other and their children and proposes a feminist, nonpatriarchal model for families. This book will be a valuable addition to public libraries and academic libraries supporting family studies, psychotherapy, and counseling programs.
Kathryn Moore Crowe, Jackson Lib., Univ. N.C., Greensboro
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 241 pages
• Publisher: Guilford Press; 1 edition (July 11, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1572302593
• ISBN-13: 978-1572302594
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,486,344 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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